Cloudy nostalgia

Once again Paul Mulshine treats readers to a tale of his unrequited love for the Republican Party. Mulshine never tires of blaming neocons for hijacking the mantle of conservatism. These "phony" conservatives duped the Bush administration and are at fault for the failed war in Iraq.
Like many frustrated Republicans, Mulshine conjures up that patron saint of conservatives, Ronald Reagan. Recalling the glory days of American imperialism in the¤'80s, he gushes over the covert, illegal wars Reagan waged in Central America. Remember what fun that was? The U.S. used profits from illicit drugs and banned arms sales to Iran to fund death squads that killed and tortured thousands in El Salvador and Nicaragua. All because the people there unwisely elected leaders not chosen by our State Department.
The Republican candidates offer Mulshine little hope for a return to his fantasy of America-first conservatism. One wants to bomb Iran, another calls for doubling Guantanamo and another plans to win by chanting "9/11." After this administration implodes, I suspect it will be some time before a Republican of any stripe resides in the White House.